Tag: light

Yes, you read that right. This oh-so-classy and minimal light is made from a decidedly not classy material: used up toilet paper rolls.

Emma from Design and Form shared this DIY idea recently, which is so easy it almost doesn’t need a tutorial: wrap an empty tube with gold paper, stick it over a lamp cord, and voila! You have yourself a pretty fancy looking light. Brilliant, right??

Inspired by marquee lights, Elsie from A Beautiful Mess set out to create a unique and playful headboard for her guest bedroom. I’d say she definitely succeeded! While the project is a little more hands-on, it’s something anyone with a power drill can do (and should — this project is awesome).

This minimalist DIY light reminds me a little bit of the (much, much more expensive) Pipe Light by Tom Dixon. While his version is made from powder coated aluminum, this clever interpretation is crafted from — wait for it — a discarded cardboard poster tube!

Scraphaker’s roundup of umbrellas used as lampshades has made me pea-green with envy…because I wish I had thought of it first. Be damned bad luck, you’ll want to open some umbrellas indoors after seeing these ideas. Click here to see all of them.

The DIY part of the AstroStar ($22) star projector is its assembly. A fun project for you and the kiddos, if you have any. If you don’t, even better, because it will surely set the mood for many romantic evenings for two. Which, of course, leads us back to my second sentence. Buy it at Infmetry; read more about it at NOTCOT.

All this talk of kitchens and cooking spaces and whatnot has me looking around at all the ways to spruce up my dining room. I got a little sidetracked when I saw this alternate use for a cheap plastic placemat. Forget the kitchen, we’re headed to the bedroom. Karen of Sew Many Ways shows how she used a clearance placemat (I always see these plastic ones on clearance- awesome!) a few screws, and a battery-powered night light to create a more unique and visually appealing light for the late hours of the night. Continue Reading

Picture it: a bedside table with the light built in. Nice. Even nicer is how it’s made. A big ol’ fiberglass planter turned upside down with a hole drilled through the back and a light fed through. Of course, the planter would have to be translucent. Here’s some that would be perfect–if not a little expensive at $192 a pop–from Fine Garden Products.

Well, you probably can’t make all ten this weekend (if you somehow manage to actually accomplish that feat, well, let’s say I owe you a lollipop). But, if you’re itchin’ for a new light fixture that’s both stylish and easy on the wallet, here are ten separate weekend projects for your consideration! (Pick and choose, people. We don’t want anyone getting hurt.)

Sometimes, and idea can be so easy and so great that I find myself wondering how the rest of us missed doing it ourselves. Take, for instance, a pendant light that has been spruced up by some simple (and free) materials.

Laura Lynn, author of Enjoying the Simple Things totally have me a head-whacking moment when I saw her pendant fixture covered in beautifully stained paint stirring sticks. A few trips to the hardware store, some handfuls of sticks, and an existing pendant fixture was all she needed to create this natural beauty. Continue Reading